Eight Tips for Creating a Social Media Policy

Click through for tips to consider when establishing a social media policy.

A good social media policy is like good art. It's often hard to explain, but you know it when you see it, which makes it pretty frustrating for companies trying to create policies for their employees. Many of the experts we've interviewed have told us the purpose of social media policies is to get folks to use good common sense. So, um, don't put proprietary information in your Facebook status updates. Don't get too snarky with your tweets.

The key to a good social-media policy is finding the right balance for your company. That'll likely depend a lot on your specific corporate culture and your industry. It's safe to say a lot of companies won't be comfortable with Zappos' seven-word policy: Be real and use your best judgment. But many will find social-media guidelines like those issued by Dow Jones to be too restrictive.

In this slideshow, you’ll find a list of points that you should at least consider while crafting your company’s social media policy – even if you decide some of them do not need to be directly addressed in the final document.

For more guidance and to save lots of time, check out these helpful social media policy tools available as free downloads from the IT Business Edge Knowledge Network.

An effective content automation solution can ease the transition to a digital-first distribution strategy, helping companies preview and approve content across all platforms and media types. ... More >>